Coolwater on the Pine River Campground

The new owners have only had this place for about 8 months. In the two days I've been here I've seen groups of people come and go. The weekends seem to be a little heavy on the partying. The weekdays are super quiet. Definitely a vibe here for everyone. I will say if you're looking for free, offer to do some work for the owner. I sat at a log splitter for 2 hours and I was rewarded with a free spot and some snacks. Again, super nice owners, I'll definitely stop here again. It's a nice break from dispersed camping, hot showers and friendly people.

We really enjoyed our weekend here. We were at one of the big group sites overlooking the pond. Very affordable with water and electricity.

A few trails to walk around the property, and not far to Manistee (bakery downtown is the best in the state).

Will definitely be coming back here.

We have been staying here since 2010 and usually book a larger lot with a big group. We try to make annual trips on the pine river and this has been our place to stay each time.

Kids and grandkids joined us for fall camping. New spot for us. Closer to home. Absolutely gorgeous surroundings. Great hiking. One family had over 70 pumpkins carved and set up a trail. Impressive night walk. New owners. Like 8 days. Very accommodating. Plan to make this our fall family camping spot.

Been going to Coolwater for four years now on an annual group trip, and see no end in sight.

The owner, Geri, is amazing. Firewood and ice sold on site for good prices. Decent restrooms and showers with pit toilets around if needed. Large shaded sites and AMAZING people visiting each year. The campground asks no loud music and full quiet after 12, but we always have a rowdy group and it’s been fine so long as nobody gets disruptive. There’s a canoe launch we sometimes use for our two day trips. Several cool beaches and things to do nearby.

Overall 10/10, would always recommend Coolwater. I look forward to it every single year.

We enjoyed our time here, sites are bigger with lots of trees/shade. Nice views, bathrooms will be a bit rustic for some. But we loved the area and space the campground provides. The worms dropping from the trees were crazy.

This is a nice campground although there's a big sign at the entrance discouraging loud music.

This campground is very nice and peaceful (especially during the day when most campers are off canoeing.) I think seeing it was in the middle of the National Forest, I assumed there would be a lot to do, but from what I can tell it’s mostly a campground for people who want to canoe in the area. We did not, so there wasn’t much to explore by foot other than the campground itself. We were able to walk to the river, but from what we saw (the office was closed our first full day there) there weren’t any other trails accessible from the campgrounds. I’d recommend planning your trip and daily activities ahead of time. Our cell service was non-existent which was a great way to disconnect, but difficult when not knowing the area well. We made the best of it, and still had fun walking around the site during the day and enjoying the view from our campsite.

One of the best campgrounds around!